Q: Who is considered a professional photographer?
A: We consider professional photographers those who earn or have earned the majority of their income from photography. Also those who sell or publish their work regularly, and/or belong to professional photography organizations.
Q: Are only photography students eligible for the student discount?
A: All students (part-time or full-time) are eligible for the student discount, regardless of what subject they are studying.
Q: What is considered a series?
A: A series consists of at least 2 and no more than 11 photographs sharing a common theme or concept and a single title. A series will be judged as a whole so please be sure that the photographs work together as a body of work.
Q: How many photographs can I enter into the same series?
A: You can enter from 2 to 11 images in the same series. All the images in the series should share a common theme and will have a single title.
Q: How will I know if my submission is complete, and what do I do if it’s not?
A: If a submission is incomplete at the time of the competition’s close, (e.g. the submission has not been paid, or the images have not been uploaded correctly), it will not be eligible for juried consideration. Though we make every effort to make contact and to ensure completion of submissions, we are not responsible for incomplete entries and are unable to offer a refund should an entry be incomplete at the time of the competition’s close. You may check on your entry status going to the History tab on your BIFA member page, or by sending us an email at: support@budapestfotoawards.com
Q: My image(s) didn’t upload correctly. What do I do?
A: It may be due to characters that are not letters or numbers in the titles of your files. Please ensure that the file name contains only letters from the English alphabet and/or numbers–no other symbols will be recognised and your image will not upload correctly. Try to upload once again after following these instructions. You can also try to refresh your main submission page after you upload the images.
Q: What size should the image files be?
A: Digital images should be in sRGB format and not exceed 4000 pixels and 4 MB per file. Save as JPG compression High, and minimum 1000 pixels on the longest side.
Q: Can I enter one photograph into multiple categories?
A: Yes, you may enter the same photograph into as many categories as you see fit. In fact, doing so may increase your chances of winning. There is a fee for each additional category.
Q: Is there a limit to the number of entries I can submit?
A: No, you may submit as many entries, in as many categories, as you would like.
Q: Is there a time limit within which the photographs should have been taken?
A: Yes. All photographs should be no more than 5 years old.
Q: Can I submit a photograph that has won another award or has been entered in previous competitions?
A: Yes, you may submit work that has been previously submitted, or that has won another award. However, in an effort to promote the creation of new work and maintain fresh flow of ideas, we encourage you to submit new work.
Q: What is the Book category?
A: The book category is for photographers who have published a body of work in book form. Eligible books include exhibition catalogues, prototypes, proposals, independently published, self-published, traditional, limited edition, multi-author, single-author, intersectional, zine, handmade, re-issue, and more. Submissions to this category must be in the form of a series. Although submitting a hard copy of the book is not required, you may upload a PDF version of your complete book if you wish–this can be done on the image upload page of the online submission process.
Q: What is the Portfolio category?
A: In the portfolio category you can submit 20 of your best images from the entire collection of your work. Unlike other categories, entries to the portfolio category don’t have to be under one title or one group of works. For example, in Portfolio/Advertising you can submit up to 10 individual works that you have created from different campaigns. This category is for showing the best of the collective photographic works you’ve created.
Q: Can I make changes to my entry after I have paid?
A: No, entries cannot be altered after payment has been made. So please review your work carefully before finalizing payment.
Q: How do I know if you received my entry?
A: You should receive a confirmation email shortly after you submit and pay for your work. If you do not receive an email, please let us know by contacting support@budapestfotoawards.com. In addition, if you are using spam-blocking software, please add “budapestfotoawards.com” to your approved list of recipients.
Q: How can I pay for the photographs that I submit?
A: You can pay for your entry either by credit card or via Paypal.
Note: Once a submission fee has been paid, there are no refunds provided. If you have been wrongly charged for any reason, we will be happy to credit the amount that is due.
Q: How will my images be used?
A: Any images that you submit to BIFA may be used in promotional material related to the award (in social media, newsletters, on the BIFA website, etc.) but never for any other purpose than the promotion of the Budapest International Foto Awards. You retain the copyright for your images and you will always be credited accordingly if your image(s) are used for this purpose. This includes media and press announcements in the case of your being awarded a prize in the competition and in the process of publicizing and promoting the BIFA winning works . If we are contacted by outside media or press who wish to use BIFA winning images in relation to promoting the BIFA awards, we retain the right to provide them with a BIFA Press Pack (which includes low-res files of all winning photographs) for publication online or in print, provided both the photographer and BIFA are credited accordingly and the publication directly references the BIFA awards. If higher resolution images are needed in the case of a print publication, the photographer will be contacted directly. Your images will never be released or allowed to be used for any purpose NOT specifically relating to the BIFA photography awards.
Q: Where will my image(s) be used/shown?
A: One of the advantages of this competition is its global reach. Depending on what your image is chosen for (print or online publication, magazine ad or postcard for BIFA etc), your image has potential to be viewed around the world, with full credit given to you. Exposure levels range from galleries in Italy, Poland, England, the US, Cambodia, France, Canada, Germany etc, to magazine ads printed in all the top photographic journals in India, Russia, Greece, Japan, among many others. The destination and promotion of your work is endless. By entering the competition, you are agreeing to be included in the annual BIFA publication that showcases the full collection of winning images.
Q: Will I be compensated for the use of my images?
A: There is no monetary remuneration for the use of your images. However in the case that it is being used for something other than the promotion of the competition, you will be contacted and given the option to decline the use of your work.
Q: If my print is selected to take part in the annual Exhibition, what will happen to it once the show is done traveling?
A: The exhibition will be archived at the BIFA Headquarters for safe storage and POSSIBLE inclusion in the “Best Of” annual retrospective exhibitions for BIFA. On the back of each print there is stamp that reads: “not for sale, do not duplicate, return to BIFA Headquarters”. Should someone be interested in purchasing your work, we will contact you directly.
Q: Do the category winners receive an award or certificate at the BIFA Awards Ceremony?
A: No. Only the winners of the BIFA “Photographer of the Year” and “New Talent of the Year” will receive a BIFA trophy at the Exhibition opening and a cash prize.
Q: How do I know if I’ve won an award?
A: We will notify award winners by email and publish the list on our website.
Q: What did I win?
A: The winners package depends on what title you received.
BIFA Photographer of the Year
$3,000 cash prize* and BIFA trophy
New Talent of the Year
$2,000 cash prize* and BIFA trophy
First Place Category Winners (Pro and Non-Pro)
$200 cash prize* (Paypal or Amazon gift card)
*One cash prize per winner only
